Degree Programs

Contents

M.S. Ed. in Counseling

The Counseling program is intended to prepare competent mental health professionals for the counseling field. The program offers concentrations in School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling, both leading to the M.S. in Education degree. These respective concentrations prepare counselors for provisional certification as school counselors or licensed mental health counselors in New York State.

School Counseling (48 Credits)

The 48 credit School Counseling concentration is intended to prepare professionals for the demanding task of meeting the needs of children and adolescents in K-12 school settings. The program leads to provisional NYS school counselor certification.

Competencies in working with students, parents, teachers and administrators are developed through a combination of course work in theory, application, and the internships in school counseling. Competence in school counseling is gained through course work in:

traditional and comprehensive developmental and preventative guidance programschild and adolescent development and psychologytheory-based and specialized interventionscounseling skills to meet the unique needs of students, andtests, measurement and appraisal.

The internships in school counseling allow students to take knowledge gained from course work and apply it to practical situations in a school setting. This is done under the cooperative supervision of a New York State-certified school counselor and a faculty liaison. There are no electives in this concentration, which allows course work to be focused within the concentration.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling (60 credits)

The 60 credit Clinical Mental Health Counseling concentration is intended to prepare licensed professional counselors to address the clinical needs of children, adolescents and adults in a variety of mental health and community settings. Competencies in working with individuals, groups, families, organizations and communities are developed through a combination of course work in theory, application, and internship experiences. Course work introduces students to current theory and research in counseling across the life span, as well as a variety of psychological disorders.

Students develop competence in mental health counseling approaches through course work in:

The internships in clinical mental health counseling provide students with opportunities to develop additional skills related to effective community mental health counseling practice. Interns are supervised by a licensed mental health professional at their internship sites and a faculty liaison. Electives may be taken in child, adolescent or adult development, school or college counseling, special education, or any special topics courses in counseling.